Changing the way people feel about financial services
Client
Standard Life Group is one of the UK’s largest financial services providers, managing assets of over £156 billion, with over 7 million customers worldwide. The Group comprises Life and Pensions, Standard Life Bank, Healthcare and Investments.
Business Focus
Standard Life’s growth strategy led the Group to demutualise and achieve a successful IPO (initial purchase offering) in 2006. To achieve maximum value for the IPO, and then compete as a Plc, Standard Life identified the need to reposition the Standard Life brand, and re-define the customer proposition for all the retail businesses.
Our solution
Our research and brand strategy work had defined a new retail positioning that placed customers and their changing needs throughout life at the heart of the brand. The ‘alive to life’ positioning starts with the customer, identifies their needs, and proposes financial solutions, rather than leading with the products. This is a change of approach for financial services, and the creative look and feel and tone of voice have been developed to reflect the new retail positioning.
- Repositioning the retail brand to maximise value prior to flotation.
- Creating an innovative brand expression, and key brand messages, to reposition Standard Life as a truly customer-led business.
- Collaborating with the businesses in adopting the new brand expression in their areas.
- Communicating internally and externally the brand strengths.
- Managing the brand and communications with external communications and advertising agencies to ensure consistency.
- Developing brand management guidelines, tools, naming and co-branding policy, briefing design roster agencies, and on-going brand guardianship.
Results
- New creative platform and tone of voice designed and implemented with new look corporate collateral, clear visual guidelines and defined brand messages.
- Ongoing series of new product and service launches using new brand expression.
- Group-level external communications strategy and campaign to all stakeholders.
- Ongoing repositioning of the retail brand across all businesses.
- Ongoing internal brand engagement activity.